Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cruises Encounter Rough Waters Again
CNBC: Even ‘Cruises To Nowhere’ Can’t Escape The Coronavirus
Unlike airlines and hotels, cruise ships are having a hard time getting business restarted this year. Now even one so-called “cruise to nowhere” has found itself curtailed. Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas passenger cruise ship cut short its four-day itinerary on Wednesday, returning to Singapore a day early after an 83-year-old male passenger tested positive for Covid-19. (Buchanan Pitrelli, 12/9)
The Washington Post: Ohio State’s Game Against Michigan Is Canceled
For the first time in 103 years, it appears Ohio State and Michigan will not play each other in football in a given autumn, a loud effect of the coronavirus pandemic. Michigan announced Tuesday that it could not field a team for Saturday’s game. The announcement came just moments after Ohio State Coach Ryan Day, isolated lately amid his own mild bout with the virus, told reporters he remained hopeful while avoiding the dreaded thought of a cancellation. The cancellation became Ohio State’s third of the season, after previous scratchings in November of games against Maryland and Illinois. (Culpepper, 12/8)
The New York Times: 18 Days After Giving Birth, Woman Dies From Covid-19
Erika Becerra was eight months pregnant when she learned she had tested positive for the coronavirus. Almost immediately after she got the result, her body began aching, she developed a fever and she felt tightness in her chest. When she began having trouble breathing, her husband called for an ambulance. Three days later, on Nov. 15, she gave birth in a Detroit hospital to a healthy boy, Diego. She never got to hold him, her brother told KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. Ms. Becerra’s health declined so rapidly that doctors put her on a ventilator, which she remained on for 18 days. Ms. Becerra, 33, who had no known health problems before she became ill, died on Thursday. (Cramer, 12/8)
Also —
CNN: Therapists, Patients Embrace Outdoor Therapy In Covid-19 Pandemic
Therapy looks a lot different these days for Alexandra Talty. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Southampton, New York-based writer attended a few sessions with different therapists in person. Once the pandemic hit, however, she decided she didn't want to be inside a confined space with someone who could possibly be a vector for the virus. (Villano, 12/8)
The Wall Street Journal: Can We Make Our Sex Lives Fun Again?
How’s your sex life? If it leaves something to be desired, you’re not alone. People have been having less sex—with a partner or solo—since the pandemic began, according to a longitudinal study called “Sex and Relationships in the Time of Covid-19” conducted by researchers at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. And the more stressed, disconnected or lonely a person has felt, the greater the negative impact on his or her sex life has been. (Bernstein, 12/8)
CNN: Reduce Stress During The Holidays With These Fitness Strategies
As the holiday season ramps up, daily schedules can easily fill with the demands of the season, like shopping, cooking, wrapping and planning. To avoid overload, it's all too easy to shift self-care priorities — like regular exercise — to the bottom of the list. Skipping workouts, however, can actually make it more difficult for our bodies and minds to deal with added holiday stressors. (Santas, 12/9)
Stat: Grief In The Covid Era Will Weigh On The American Psyche For Years To Come
The rituals of grief and mourning are as old as time: the swift Jewish burial and seven days of sitting shiva to honor the dead; the Muslim washing and three-sheeted shrouding of a body; the solemn Mass of Christian Burial with Holy Communion and the promise of an afterlife. All these — and other rites of faith and community across the globe — have been brutally curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, with effects on the mental and physical health of those left behind that have yet to be grasped. (Purdum, 12/9)
CNN: Here Are The US States That Don't Require Face Masks
While health officials agree face masks help prevent the spread of Covid-19, state and local governments have varied widely on implementation of mask rules. Now, President-elect Joe Biden wants to change that. Biden's office has released plans that his administration intends to implement in the beginning of his term, and one is a national mask mandate "by working with governors and mayors." (Asmelash, McNabb and Watts, 12/8)
The Hill: Taylor Swift Offers Message For Those Who 'Don't Care' About Following Pandemic Restrictions
Taylor Swift has a message for those who refuse to adhere to coronavirus guidelines: Think of the essential workers. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the pop star discussed the impact the coronavirus outbreak has had on her and the creation of her newest album, "Folklore." The singer said that she's been troubled witnessing mask-less groups gathering at bars on Lower Broadway in Nashville, her hometown, as the pandemic rages on. (Polus, 12/8)
